


Give the dog a bone (Minho´s backstory)

by putputpotato



Series: Chilling adventures of the Stray Kids coven [3]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Backstory, Boys Kissing, Chan is a necromancer, Dori is there (Minho´s cat), Familiars, Family Feels, Felix is a white witch, Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends With Benefits, Hyunjin is a green witch, I´m so sorry, Jisung is a familiar spirit, Kissing, Love, M/M, Magic, Making Out, Minho is an animalist and a werewolf, Minor Character Death, Platonic Kissing, References to Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Seungmin is a necromancer, Werewolves, Witches, Woojin is a greenwitch, minho´s backstory basically, not really but it´s the idea, stray kids are a coven
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-07
Updated: 2020-01-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 07:28:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22163311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/putputpotato/pseuds/putputpotato
Summary: Minho is known to be the calm after the storm, the rock breaking the waves. However, despite being familiar with many, barely anyone knows who he used to be.Jisung is intrigued.And he wants to know more.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Kim Woojin, Han Jisung | Han/Hwang Hyunjin, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Felix/?
Series: Chilling adventures of the Stray Kids coven [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1520750
Comments: 8
Kudos: 80





	Give the dog a bone (Minho´s backstory)

**Author's Note:**

> I saw a couple of people asking about Minho´s backstory, so I came up with something! I´m sorry it took me so long to write it though, I´m working on my first novel at the moment and didn´t take a lot of time to write fanfiction! 
> 
> A heads-up though: The last parts were very light-hearted and comedic, this one is a little darker, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless <3

A wise person (probably Woojin) once said that the night is the most exciting time, because all of its secrets hide in plain sight. Where the keeper of any secret would naturally put in a lot more effort to hide their secrets in broad daylight, the darkness of night makes them sloppy. Sloppy and frivolous. Minho had never quite thought too much about that saying. In his opinion, well-kept secrets would always stay just that: secret. But right now, as he sits in the love seat of their living room, a fire crackling in the chimney and Seungmin sleeping on the couch, it finally sinks in.

It's not about the way a spider has been circling Seungmin's open mouth for a while and Minho considers not telling him, if it ever happened to crawl inside. Neither is it about the book he reads; a recommendation from Chan, where he contemplates whether to tell him how much it sucks or if he should just keep that to himself. No, it's about the window that creaks open, somewhere around one a.m. and the boy that shuffles through it and inside.

As soon as his feet hit the floor and he turns around, Felix's eyes widen. There is a distinct kind of expression people have, when they get caught in a forbidden act. It's a special mix of panic, embarrassment and the amount of concentration, someone needs to come up with a believable excuse on the spot. Minho loves these expressions. It's like that one time, he found Jisung with cream cheese all over his face. To this day, he wishes he could have taken a picture.

"Please don't tell Chan."

Minho sighs and shuts his book, "You want me to lie to the most dangerous necromancer in the country? Sure, that's a great idea."

"It's not really a lie, if you don't say anything, right?" Felix shrugs, his eyes hushing over to Seungmin in a similar wave of shock, "Don't tell Minnie either."

"Lee Felix, are you developing a necromancer-phobia?"

"I'm begging you Minho, I'll do anything." Felix shuffles over to him. There is dirt on his cheeks and his shoes are covered in mud, "I'll give you a summary of that book, so you don't have to actually read it."

Minho gives him a gentle smile and plucks a twig from the young boy's disheveled hair, "Where were you Lix?"

"You're going to kill me." Felix avoids his eyes, instead opting for looking at a sleeping Seungmin, "Everyone will. Or worse, you'd kick me out of the coven."

"God Felix, you know we would never do that. Not even if you killed someone. You're part of this coven and that's not going to change." Minho mutters. Felix seems to be rather serious about the situation, which in itself might even be a reason to be worried.

"I can't tell you."

"Yes you can", With careful hands, he takes Felix's fingers between his own, pulling him a little closer, "You know things about me no one else does Lix. Whenever I feel the beast taking over... I never talk to anyone else. You always understand. Let me give that back to you."

Felix always wore his heart on his sleeve, whether he liked it or not, so it's easy to tell how his resolve falters, "I... I met someone."

"Oh, a girl?" From the embarrassed shuffling, Minho can decipher his mistake, "A boy!"

"Shh, Seungmin is still sleeping." Felix reminds him.

"But Lixie that's so cute", Minho whispers, "Why didn't you tell us? There's no need to sneak out, just so you can see the person you like. You know how gay Woojin and Chan are for each other. They're practically married."

"That's not the problem." Felix whispers and Minho's eyes widen, when he sees a tiny tear escape his eye, "Minho, he's... he's a mortal."

That gives Minho to think. He pulls in a sharp breath, as the words sink in properly. A mortal. That is indeed something to worry about. While their younger generation, like Hyunjin and Seungmin never saw a problem with mortal-witch relationships, Minho, Chan and Woojin had grown up a lot different. You start to develop a strict belief, after witnessing things like Salem and watching witches be torn apart and vilify witches in stories and media. A belief, which doesn't necessarily work in mortal's favors. Minho and Woojin don't care for mortals, they just live alongside them, not wanting to interact with them too much.

But Chan. Chan has seen some things and Minho knows without a doubt that he would never allow this. It's not just to be cruel. Everyone and their mother know Chan would gift the world to Felix, if he could. No, he would just be downright terrified. Forbidding Felix to see this human boy, would solemnly have the purpose to protect Felix from harm. Which is why Minho is more torn right now, than he had been when there had been an arrow in his side, just a century ago.

"I see..." he whispers. Felix starts to shake in his hands and it makes his next words just that more painful: "Listen Lix, as much as I want to be the cool uncle in this case, I'm afraid I have to step in. I won't tell Chan or Woojin or anyone about tonight, but if you sneak out again, I will. Do you understand?"

Felix pulls his hand away, as if Minho's touch suddenly seared his skin. There's a pang in Minho's chest, but he has to keep his face neutral. Sometimes, for the sake of someone else, you have to break the one truth to them, they don't want to hear. Even if they hate you for it. The fire of the chimney reflects in Felix's eyes and although he quickly bows his head down, Minho doesn't miss the tear tracks on his face widening. One of his tears lands on Minho's still outstretched hand.

"Yes." he whispers.

"Okay." Minho swallows the lump in his throat, "Go to bed. You've got school tomorrow."

As if the dark lord himself were chasing him, Felix bolts out of the room. In the distance, Minho can hear his hurried steps climbing the staircase. But there's no door slamming, because he knows Felix is way too considerate to wake his family in a wave of anger. The silence he leaves behind is suffocating and Minho has to steady himself with a couple of deep breaths. No matter how much time he spends on this planet, there are certain things he can't get used to. For a moment, he considers going upstairs to comfort the white witch, but then he thinks better of it. Felix would probably prefer being alone right now.

So, he raises from his chair and aims for the door to the entrance hall. He stops, though, and turns around to look at Seungmin. Without a second thought, he walks over and lies down on the couch, hugging the younger close to his chest. Seungmin sighs in his sleep, finally closing his mouth and burying his nose into Minho's chest. At least this kid could never be mad at him.

\--*--

As expected, the next morning is chaotic. For a lot more reasons than expected though. It starts with Woojin turning the whole house upside down in search for his planthouse’s protection jar, only to realize an hour later that Jisung took it.

"I thought it was a snow globe!" Jisung whines.

Woojin smacks him up the back head and holds the jar with different protection-items inside in front of his face, "How does that look like a snow globe? There is not even snow inside, you moron."

"A summer globe then!"

Jeongin walks in on several people changing, since he's still unfamiliar with the house and just in search of the bathroom. At one point, he makes it a game to count and if he manages to cross the ten-mark, he allows himself a triple chicken sandwich at school.

Chan is still very much stressed out about finding an excuse as to why he could suddenly have a nephew he wants to send to their local school. It had already been hard enough to convince the principal that Hyunjin and Jisung were related. Now, Jeongin and Chan look nothing like each other, but it would be strange for Woojin to have yet another cousin.

"How about you just tell them we found him in the woods. That's as close to the truth as you could be." Minho suggests and pours Chan a relaxation-tea.

"Leaving out the little details like: 'oh yeah, in fact we found him in a mausoleum, running away from a demon.'" Chan scoffs, "'ah and before I forget it: He's from the future.' Great idea." Minho knows better than to be offended by that and only gives a good-natured shrug.

It's safe to say that everyone is rather stressed out. Even Seungmin, who usually seems to be the calm in person, despite a curse clinging to his soul, seems to sit on ants that morning. When Minho questions him about the obvious fidgeting and stops him from scratching his hands for the fourth time, Seungmin buries his face in his arms.

"I have a math-exam today and I didn't study, because I wanted to finish my last potion yesterday, then I fell asleep and now I know nothing. And there is that girl in my class, who asked me out and I thought she wanted to have me tutor her in English, but Jisung explained to me that she has 'the hots for me', but I don't even know if I like girls and today is going to be so awkward. And Donghyuck's snake seems to follow me around at school all the time and I asked him about it, apparently it's because Mr. Moon wants to keep an eye on me just in case, now I feel like Lady Gaga, when she sang paparazzi." he spills, without taking a breath even once.

Minho pats him on the back and hands him a bar of Woojin's self-made lavender chocolate, because that always helps. In addition to all of this, Hyunjin comes down from his and Jisung's room, sounding like death. His eyes and nose are red and when Minho touches his forehead, it's burning up. Despite complains, Chan sends him back upstairs and Minho gets ready to cook a 'get-well-with-garlic' soup for him.

Then, there is Felix. Minho had expected him to give him the cold shoulder, after the happenings of the previous night, but this is even beyond his imagination. Felix is known to be the cheerful, social butterfly that keeps the balance in the chaos every morning. Which is why everything is going to shit today. As soon as Felix comes downstairs, everyone stops what they're doing.

He looks absolutely devastated. So much, that Minho feels his heart sink with guilt. Deep shadows paint the skin beneath a pair of eyes that is rimmed with red and looking darker than even Chan's when he is angry. Seungmin tries reaching out for him, but he's pushed away, gently, yet insistent. All morning, Felix doesn't utter a single word; only eats his breakfast, shoulders his backpack and heads outside, without waiting for Seungmin. Even when Chan calls after him, he is met with silence, which says a lot.

However, no one except Minho seems to really understand or notice the change in Felix' behavior, because the stressful chaos resumes from the moment, Felix closes the entrance door behind himself. Sooner than later, Seungmin hurries after him. Then, Woojin and Chan are dragging Jeongin out the door, too, and the house is left in silence.

For the most part, at least.

Minho is in the middle of sipping his morning coffee, waiting for Hyunjin's soup to finish and reading Chan's bad book, when someone appears in the doorway of the kitchen. Jisung carries himself just like the sleek animals he likes to change into occasionally. For someone so idiotic, he sure knows how to move enough to catch an eye.

"You know what?" he asks and Minho puts his book down with a sigh, "Nothing about you makes any sense."

Minho lifts a brow at the familiar, when Jisung sits down on the edge of the kitchen table, legs crossed elegantly, "How am I to take that?"

"Just saying, bro. I mean, you're a werewolf, but also a witch? And you're what- grounded by the great coven, for the rest of your days, because you ate a sheep?" The familiar snatches a grape from the fruit bowl on the table and pops it into his mouth.

Minho snorts, "It's a little more complicated than that, to be honest."

"Well, Hyunjin is unserviceable right now and I like stories, so fill me in, my dude." Jisung smirks at him.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Minho mirrors the smirk, "Why are you so interested in my story, anyways? I'm sure a familiar spirit has more interesting things to do than listen to an old witch tell stories."

"I think you're quite interesting, period." Jisung shuffles closer, head tilted, "and you're still pretty hot for being so damn old."

"You think I'm hot?" Jisung shrugs, then nods with a tiny grin, "That makes you a furry."

Jisung rolls his eyes, "It makes everyone else a furry. I don't know if you forgot what I am but I think there is a difference here. I'm the exception."

Minho laughs quietly. Ever since Jisung has joined them in their little household, there has obviously been some kind of chemistry between them. Admittedly, Minho had always made fun of Taeyong for fancying Jaehyun, his own familiar, but right now, it doesn't seem like such a strange thing. Jisung is a human. A human with superpowers, but still a human. And an attractive one at that. Yet, it's a little too much fun to rile Jisung up, to give in already.

"Take Hyunjin's soup upstairs and I'll think about it." Minho proposes, opening his book again.

Jisung stares at him with a pout for a moment, thinking it would make a difference. Once he understands there is nothing to be done though, he gets up with a sigh and gathers a bowl from their cupboard. He fills it up with soup and Minho watches him snap his fingers over the edge of his book. Jisung disappears with a silent surr. A couple of minutes later, he comes back through the doorway.

"Now, as for my story", Jisung snatches the book from Minho and throws it over his shoulder. Minho raises a brow at him, when, instead of taking his spot on the table, Jisung falls into his lap. Delicate fingers wander into his hair and Minho has to stop the pleased noise that builds in his throat. "I think after such a marvelous task fulfilled, I deserve a little entertainment."

"You're spoiled."

"You promised."

Minho snorts and adjusts Jisung in his lap, holding one of his thighs, so he doesn't slide off, "You really want to sit through an eternity of a story, just to uncover my mystery? Surely, there must be some appeal to the unknown."

"I think there is a huge secret behind all of this and you're just looking for a way not to tell me about it." Jisung answers smugly, "Luckily, I'm irresistible, so you have no chance."

With furrowed brows, Minho takes a tight hold of Jisung's chin, "I really have to tell Hyunjin to put a leash on you. Aren't you meant to obey?"

He feels the familiar shudder, but to Jisung's credit his voice is steady when he answers, "You love it."

Rolling his eyes, Minho lets go of the boy's face and the combing through his hair resumes. When Jisung scratches behind his ear, he's almost sure the boy knows exactly what he's doing. Dogs usually get a feeling of euphoria, when they have a certain spot behind their ear stimulated. To Minho's dismay (or luck) he discovered he had adopted that quality, when he was bitten as well.

"That's a good boy." Jisung smirks.

"Oh, shut it."

"My story."

Minho leans his head back against the kitchen wall and watches the familiar through hooded eyes, "Alright, alright. I think the whole mess began... around forty years ago...

\--*--

The coven had only consisted of Chan, Woojin and Minho at that time. No one knew just a few months later, a lost orphan named Hyunjin would knock on their door, the car-wreck with his parents inside, just a few kilometres down the main street. However, that would be a story for another time.

Winter had already spread its comforting snow-blanket across the village. Even the dark wood of their mansion was completely covered, making the building disappear in a camouflage fashion, from afar. Minho and Chan had been in the village, buying a couple of ingredients that Woojin requested for their Christmas dinner. They greeted Taeil and Taeyong on their way, barely recognizing them behind their thick scarves and big coats. Everywhere, children were running and screaming, throwing snowballs at each other or building tiny snowmen around the huge fountain.

In the last forty years until today, nothing much has changed about their little village. Only the school had been expanded somewhere around 1990. Minho had been in the middle of fetching a couple of fresh spices from the winter market, thanking the lady that sold them with a small bow. He giggled when a small tickling sensation went through his sleeve. Dori slipped through his coat's collar, nudging him gently on the cheek.

His familiar had been so beautiful. A wide-eyed cat with the softest fur and painted in the most enchanting pattern. Dori was strong, protecting Minho ever since he could remember (and he carried a couple of centuries on his back by now). His fingers went up to scratch through thick fur and he smiled, as a purr rumbled against him.

When he looked around, Minho found Chan standing somewhere at the edge of the big plaza. He looked concerned and Minho immediately felt the atmosphere shift. Chan seemed to be talking to someone and when Minho squinted a little, he made out the face of the village's mayor. An old man, with his hair graying at the temples and his beard yellow from all the cigars he had smoked in his life. Without hesitation, Minho sped over to his friend.

"Ah, Mr. Lee. I'm afraid I am already forced to go on my way, but I'm sure Mr. Bang can fill you in on everything." the mayor said, once Minho was close enough to the happenings, "Enjoy the market, but please be on the lookout."

With that, he was gone. Minho turned his head to frown at Chan in confusion, "On the lookout? What did he tell you?"

Chan was gnawing on his lip, thoughts turning in his head, "Apparently, there is something in the woods. Predators."

"A bear?" Minho asked. That would have been strange, after all, he had not sensed any new feral creatures around.

"No, the mayor said that the sheriff found a couple of footprints and they were too small for bears." Chan huffed, "They said it looked like wolf-paws, but around three times their size."

Minho pressed Dori closer to himself, "Do you think they could be dangerous?"

"I'm not sure." Finally, Chan straightened his spine and lead them back towards their home, "I think we can only hope that they were just passing through our woods, in search of a new place to live."

They returned home then, watching Woojin light up with the fresh ingredients they had brought. True to his words, Chan didn't take action against their suspects, only letting the days pass by in a snowy blur. Minho couldn't quite relate to the necromancer's calmness though. Somehow, the rumor about those creatures in the woods had settled deep within him, eating away at his mind, even as he slept. His grandmother had always said with a 3rd eye, comes another sense. A sense that can predict trouble, even when no one else expects it.

Now, Minho knew he wasn't the only witch with a third eye in the village, so he only waited a day, until the worries were strong enough to hunt him out of the mansion. Upon asking Taeyong, though the witch promised him he hadn't felt anything similar. Even the villagers seemed to have forgotten about the immediate danger that lurked in the woods. Everything was calm and Minho started to think that perhaps, he had reacted too paranoid.

At least, until four days later, the shrill bell of their mansion rang with a visitor. Taeyong and Jaehyun had looked like they ran all the way from the village to their home. Chan had immediately ushered both of them inside and wrapped them in dry blankets, before questioning them.

"Someone found a corpse." Taeyong panted into his cup, "We came here to warn you guys, since you live so far out of the village."

Jaehyun pressed closer to his witch in search for comfort, "It was bizarre! The woman must have just been in her twenties. Her heart was ripped clean out of her chest! Whatever it was, probably ate it in one big munch."

Chan and Woojin exchanged a quick look and Minho tried to search his brain for whatever he had missed out on in that moment. It seemed like both of them had a suspicion as to whom or what could be their mysterious enemy out there. A creature, bigger than a wolf, eating human hearts? He probably heard about that at some point. His eyes travelled outside, where the night had already taken over. The snow shone brightly, despite the time of day, thanks to the bright moon above them. It was then, that it sunk in.

Minho's eyes widened, "You don't think it... could have been a werewolf, do you?"

Chan sighed and he supported himself on their kitchen table, "I don't know Min, it could be. The description fits. But if that really is true, we're in deep trouble."

"What will we do?" Taeyong asked, "The villagers are like a meal on a silver tray for them."

"Yes, we certainly can't leave them to it." Chan nodded in agreement.

"I thought you don't care for the mortals." Minho mumbled.

"I don't." Chan said, his expression meek, "But I know better than to think we can just survive in this random spot, far from other civilizations, without company. They supply us with food, education and everything else we need. Even if I'm not particularly fond of them, we need them alongside us."

Minho nodded eagerly and pushed to his feet, "Then we help them, right? We do whatever we can?"

"I'm afraid so." Chan admitted.

\--*--

"Wow, I didn't think you were such a mortal-lover." Jisung teases him.

Shaking his head with a scoff, Minho absentmindedly trails his fingers over Jisung's thigh, "I was a different person back then. I used to believe that, if we could show the mortals that not all witches were evil, it could result in us living alongside each other. Open and peacefully."

"That's actually really cute." Jisung says, his nose scrunching up, "Doesn't fit with your bad boy-image at all."

"Aw, turn-off?"

"Nah, contrary." The familiar cards his hand through Minho's locks and smiles gently, "Hard shell, soft core – what better picture of a man is there."

Laughing again, Minho buries his face in the boy's neck, to hide the slight warmth he feels building, "You sure you're not an incubus?"

"Sadly not", Jisung giggles, "but I'll take the guess as a compliment. Now, what happened with the werewolves?"

Minho pulls back again, trying to compose himself, "We made preparations."

\--*--

After Taeyong and Jaehyun had left again, the three witches had gathered, to climb into the third floor. Chan practically shoved the door open, letting it bang against the wall. All of them were tense, but Minho knew that Chan always liked to quickly loose his head. Nowadays, that has changed, but back then, Chan had been like a deer, running from a headlight. Woojin's expression told Minho that he felt it too and his hand quickly went to Chan's shoulder, to calm him down.

Chan endured it for the better part of a minute, before gently shrugging the other man off. Then, he went for the center of the room. There wasn't much. The third floor only consisted of a cramped storage room to the left and the rest of it was laid out with nothing but a few bookshelves and a thick, fluffy carpet. Above their heads, the ceiling reached far into the sky, growing smaller and smaller, until the tower ended in a tiny circle. The only other thing that was illuminated by the huge window that covered the northern wall completely, was a tiny object, in the middle of the room. It had been covered by a shimmering, purple satin cloth.

Without hesitation, Chan ripped the cloth off and revealed a big glass ball. It sat on the floor, sporting the size of a Globus and casting all colors of the rainbow onto the carpet, as it broke the light from outside. Minho took a deep breath at the sight. He felt the orb tug at him and gave into the urge to approach it.

"We need to find them now, before another human gets hurt." Chan said, "Or worse: a witch."

Woojin ran a hand through Minho's hair and he was immediately thankful for the grounding touch, "You've done this before Min. If it gets too much, you can stop, but I'm afraid we have to try."

"I wasn't going to chicken out, if you thought about that." Minho smirked, trying to mask the rapid beating of his heart.

"Go on." Chan motioned towards the glass ball and tugged Woojin towards the edge of the room.

Heaving another sigh, Minho slowly lowered himself onto the floor, facing the bright window. Woojin was right, he had done this before. Not often, since it was a great strain on his body – a lot of magical energy for a body that was only designed to take so much. Sometimes, witches would be born with powers their bodies couldn't handle, all for unknown reasons. Minho was one of them. The third eye was considered a blessing between witches, but no one ever talked about the strain that came with it. Headaches, hallucinations and visions at times when Minho would least expect them. He had talked about it with Taeyong and even though the witch was a lot older than him, he had admitted to barely making use of his third eye.

Only in emergencies. This was an emergency.

His hands found the cool surface of the ball and he closed his eyes. The energy of the third eye took over, seeing the inside of the glass ball, even with Minho's eyes closed. Chan and Woojin, the third floor, everything fell away and the world narrowed down to Minho and the blurry pictures that began to develop in the glass ball. At first they were mere shapes, moving in jerky motions, like a stuttering movie. Then, the frames and colours cleared out and Minho saw what he had searched for.

He was sailing above the ground, metres and metres overhead. A hawk, most likely. Those agile creatures which had eyes that could spot a mouse from a mile away. Minho loved sending his spirit into all kinds of animals, learning and taking advantage of the special talents each of them had. The eye of a hawk, the speed of a gazelle, the strength of a bear.

The wind rushed through his wings, feathers twitching. Then, he found them. A pack – small, yet deadly. There were only around four of them, all hunched around a tiny campfire. It was so small that barely any smoke levitated above, which was probably the reason why no one had found them yet. Two grown up women, a man and a child. All of them had their signature pointed ears and gleaming fur on their cheeks and hands. Currently, they were in their human form, but Minho knew what a fully transformed werewolf looked like. About twice the size of a regular wolf and their teeth as thick as daggers.

Taking a sharp curve, he landed close to their camp. One of the women sniffed the air, suspicion written in her tensed shoulders. Minho held his breath. He couldn't possibly know that Minho was watching them, right? A sigh of relief, when the woman turned away again, poking at the fire.

They didn't appear to have a lot. Only a couple of bags, filled with what looked like blankets and sleeping bags and a few bottles of water. No food, though. Minho frowned, the hawk fluttering its feathers nervously. When he got a look at the woman's neck though, it made sense. Her neck bore a scar, shaped like the jaw of a wolf and as Minho looked around more, he found similar marks on all of their necks. So they weren't purebloods. Which meant they could transform whenever they wanted to. Or, if they were unfortunate enough to lose control over their emotions. They didn't need to carry food with them, when it was so easy to hunt as a wolf.

The child, probably around ten years old, was tugging at the man's arm then. Minho's heart skipped a beat when the little boy pointed right at him and the man's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Minho had seen enough. He would have to go.

Slowly extracting himself from the hawk, he felt himself fall back. For a moment, the world became black and then, the light returned to his eyes. The pointed ceiling of the third floor and a pair of worried faces came into focus. Minho cursed softly. The headache he felt was like three hangovers and when Woojin helped him sit up, the world spun a little.

Chan had a napkin in his hand, pressing it to Minho's face and when it came back drenched in red, Minho realized his nose had started bleeding at some point. Tilting his head, he waited for the blood flow to stop, before telling Chan and Woojin what he had seen.

"That means trouble." Chan said, pressing a water bottle to Minho's lips, "One wolf wouldn't have been that much of a problem, but a whole pack... They'll be hard to deal with."

Woojin took the bloodied napkin and burned it in his palm, until there was nothing left of it except smoke, "They must have come from the north. Little civilization, but a lot of wolves. If what you saw wasn't a trick of the light, they might have only been turned recently. The full moon was around two weeks ago."

"Another problem." Chan said then, "They can turn whenever they need to. If we frighten them even a little, we could loose our head. Werewolves are dangerous enough in their human form, but when they turn... Too many witches have lost their lives this way."

Minho, his breath finally steady, asked: "Do you think we should involve the Lee coven?"

"They already are as good as involved." Chan shrugged, then his gaze darkened, "Either way, we have to get rid of these creatures, before the next full moon. If they turn on their own accord, they still have a sense of reality, but once they turn under the full moon, they're all feral instinct."

"You want to kill them?" Minho gasped.

"Only if they leave us no other choice."

\--*--

"Do you still use the eye?" Jisung asks faintly, gaze locked on Minho's forehead, as if he could actually find another eye right there.

"I haven't since then." Minho's fingers dance beneath the hem of Jisung's shirt, "The process is a great strain. My mind is in pieces hours after it and my body takes a toll, too. We couldn't risk me turning, as a protective response of my body."

Humming, Jisung adjusts in his lap and slings his arms around Minho's neck, "So the orb is stored up there with no one using it?"

"Chan attempted to learn it, but very few have the gene that is required for it. It's like rolling your tongue, not everyone can do it." Minho shrugs, "Occasionally we lend it to Taeyong, but I think Taeil plans to get him his own soon."

There is a scratch in his nape again and he leans into it. Jisung smirks a little in response, but Minho decides to ignore that, "What about the kids? Do you think they could do it?"

"There is always a chance." Minho says, "Woojin, Chan and I have made bets. My vote is on Seungmin. He's still too young and inexperienced to try, though."

"Too bad." Jisung sighs, "I would have loved to see it in action. Especially you."

"There's not much to see, it looks like I'm having a ten minute stroke, to be honest." Minho laughs at his own joke.

Jisung's smile is small, then his gaze droops a little, "You said you had a familiar, but... I-" he stalks around the words in his mouth, unsure whether he should ask, "I've never seen one around here."

Minho's heart suddenly seems to weigh a ton more, "That's because she isn't here anymore. Not really."

A gentle palm feels warm against his cheek and Jisung places a peck against his forehead, "I'm sorry, Min."

"She died, doing the very thing she had always done:" When Jisung presses him into a tight hug, he allows himself to dive right into it, "Protecting me."

\--*--

Nights passed, as they tried to come up with a solution and there were more deaths. By the end of the week, three new gravestones had been added to the graveyard and the Kim coven was under more pressure than ever before. Finally, as soon as the sun rose on Sunday, they made their way out towards the woods.

"We can't go at night." Chan had said, "There is nothing to gain from it. The darkness wouldn't be on our side, as soon as they turn, they can see us even through the black of night."

A strange concept, considering the darkness had always been on Chan's side up until that point. It seemed to unnerve the necromancer more than anyone else and when he drank his cup of tea on that morning, Minho actually had to jump in an steady his hand. For once, Woojin didn't complain about the deep, orange stain that seeped into the tablecloth. No, he merely stared off into space, his hand in Chan's and his thoughts on the other side of the world.

Minho didn't get it.

Don't get him wrong, of course the concept of going out there and fighting an actual pack of werewolves was scary, but he felt more confident than anything else. The Lee coven had promised to help and even just Taeyong and Taeil were a strong addition to the team. Minho prided himself in being a talented witch, but he could still admit that his elders were even beyond his abilities. A force to be reckoned with.

In retrospect, he should have known how naive that was. Seeing even the fright in Taeyong's flickering gaze and the hard line of Taeil's mouth should have been more than warning enough. If that wasn't a dead giveaway, the fact that Jaehyun, in the form of a dog, kept his tail between his legs from the get-go. Even Dori seemed nervous, but Minho couldn't pinpoint why.

Life has a morbid way of putting the frivolous in their place.

After three hours of searching the woods together, Taeyong finally voiced the one thing that had been sitting in all of their minds from the moment they began: "We have to split up."

Obviously, Chan was not having that: "No, we stay together and-"

"There is too much ground to cover." Taeyong sighs, "For all we know, they're walking right past us just a mile away. If we split up, we have a better chance of caging them in."

"I don't know that seems like something that is bound to put at least one of us into an early grave." Woojin murmured.

"I agree with Taeyong." Minho said, his voice as bright as he dared it to get, "If there is an emergency we just... send a smoke signal!"

A beat of silence passed them, then Taeil, who had been tapping his elbow in thought nodded: "Blue smoke, in an emergency, but there was no encounter. Red, when there is an encounter. Don´t try to be a hero, send the signal before you do anything else."

Everyone nodded their agreement and with a last, longing gaze, they parted. Just minutes later, Minho and Dori were delved into silence. Even the woods seemed nervous, Minho could feel the several tiny hearts in the ground and above his head, race in fear. Every animal in the entire woods seemed to know about their intruders and Minho didn´t know how to feel about that.

"I don´t feel good about this Min." he looked down at his familiar. Dori rarely ever spoke, but when she did, it was with tension in her voice.

"It´s okay Dori", he mumbled, "keep your ears perked."

They wandered further west, following tiny trails and occasionally moving cross-country. At one point, Minho managed to start a conversation with a raccoon that claimed to have seen the werewolf family just a few minutes away. When Minho asked it to lead them there, the raccoon gave him a dirty snarl and dove back into the underground. The same thing happened with two mice, a hawk and even a beaver.

"Not very cooperative, are they?" Minho huffed, settling down on a lonely stump.

Dori jumped onto his lap with grace, "And with good reason. Not everyone is keen on brawling with a bunch of grown-up werewolves."

Minho chuckled, "Yeah well, strange hobbies."

He looked down at Dori and his eyebrows shot up. She had her ears perked and her glowing, green eyes fixed on a spot deeper in the woods. Holding his breath, Minho listened intently and, sure enough, a silent crackling sound hit his ears. Dori jumped from his lap, when he pushed back to his feet.

"Send the signal." she whispered.

"Don´t be silly", Minho hissed, "We don´t know if it´s them. It could be a bear as well."

But he knew it wasn´t a bear. As an animalist, he would have felt the bear´s presence, his heavy footsteps, his strong muscles budging with every move. All he found was an intense wave of air-thickening hatred. Dori knew it to – she had to, being connected with Minho to the core – but she kept quiet and remained close to his side.

They stalked through the shrubbery, careful to avoid the branches on the ground, which would snap loudly, way too easily. Clenching his fists, Minho pushed another branch aside and stopped dead in his tracks. There, right in the middle of a wide clearing, he could see them. The two women and the boy. Three out of four. His heartbeat picked up speed and he glanced around. Where was the male? Dori flinched, when he dared to take another step forward. Suddenly, one of the women twitched, angling her chin up and taking a deep sniff at the air. Minho bit the inside of his cheek, keeping his breath inside.

An eternity later, she relaxed again.

He should send the signal, Minho decided, and bowed to pick up a thick fir cone. Whispering a quick spell into its´ middle, heat sparked in his veins and seconds later, the tiny thing burned with a soft crackling in his palm. Red smoke emitted from the inside and rose into the sky, in its intense colour. Should he retreat now? What if they saw the smoke signal before the rest of his group?

A question he should have contemplated sooner.

Dori cried out, the exact moment something hit Minho´s back and slammed him face-first into the ground. He tasted blood in his mouth and there was a heavy weight, pressing into his shoulder blades. When he tried to struggle, a sharp pain dug into his skin. He cried out and struggled more, this time the creature gave way. Sitting up, Minho got a glimpse of Dori, on top of his attacker. She had transformed into an enormous lioness, claws as big and sharp as daggers, sinking into the shoulders of an even bigger wolf.

He needed to help her! Scrambling to his feet, Minho prepared to cast a fire spell at the creatures belly, but was, one more, beaten to it. Something hot sliced through his right arm, making him cry out again and the next thing he knew, he was pressed back onto the dirt. One of the female werewolves had transformed and was now on top of him, broad paws pressing against his shoulders. The second one, zoomed past his peripheral vision, attacking Dori as well. She was struggling, even in her gigantic form, looking tiny and vulnerable next to the wolves. Her eyes were wide in fear, yet she kept clawing and biting, trying her best to stay alive and get to Minho.

A snarl in his face, brought Minho back to his own attacker. Snarling right back, he gathered the water in the plants around him. As it surged out of them, they withered, growing brown and dry. Freezing the water in his palm into long, wicked ice picks, Minho twisted his arm and slammed it right into the werewolves ribcage. A deafening howl echoed in the air and red splattered on Minho´s cheeks, as the werewolf choked. Taken aback, he used his enemy´s distraction and pushed her off, with everything he had. His muscles screamed, but eventually, the body gave in. Tumbling and swaying on her feet, the wolf whined, with her tail between her legs.

Another feral scream broke him out of his stupor and his eyes sped back to Dori. His eyes widened, when he met hers, afraid and tear-flooded. She was right beneath the two wolves, no way of escaping and even the magical force she used, didn´t seem to be enough to fight two werewolves at once. His hands twitched, summoning fire, simply from the molecules in the air. A task, usually dreadful and difficult, but with Minho´s anger, flooding his system, it happened just so. He aimed at the wolves, arm stretched out in front of him. But his former enemy would not have it. She heaved herself on her feet and jumped on him, biting right into his outstretched arm.

He screamed in pain, feeling a poisonous fire spread through his body. A fire, he had not summoned. A fire, he didn´t know how to put out. Even as he tried to shake her off, the she-wolf would not release her jaw and every move just sent more agony through him.

With the panic clogging his throat, he searched for Dori´s eyes once more. What he saw, would haunt him until this very day:

Her eyes, green like emeralds, looking at him with so much trust and love that he felt overwhelmed with it. They softened, as if she were smiling.

Just before the werewolf snapped his jaw and broke her neck. Lively eyes turned expressionless and empty. Any physical pain Minho felt fell away, replaced by the most excruciating and suffocating emptiness he could have imagined. His soul was ripped in half. One half still alive and the other… gone. Rotting in the darkness. He had been emptied out, left with nothing but his shell. Dori was gone. After centuries, in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

He cried out and the teeth that had still been buried in his arm, disappeared. The werewolf howled in pain, when she caught fire, the stench of burning fur wavering in the air. Lying on the floor, with tears staining his cheeks, Minho let the pain and sorrow take over – something Chan had always forbidden him. But how, how could anyone expect him to hold back now?

Minho refused to remember what had happened then, but what he recalls until this day is that those werewolves died the most excruciating deaths anyone could have thought possible. When he woke up, it was in Chan´s arms, the necromancer´s tears falling onto his cheeks and Woojin whispering: "He´ll never be the same."

\--*--

He can see the sympathy in Jisung´s eyes, even as he tries to hide it, "You lost her." he whispers and Minho nods, "I… to imagine… loosing your familiar. It must have taken ages to–… to heal."

"It did." Minho sighs, suddenly squirming with the situation, "Even after all this time, I still feel the hole she left behind."

Jisung´s palm feels warm and comforting against his jaw, "I´m so sorry, Min."

"It was a long time ago." Minho answers, gathering the strength to show a smile, "You don´t have to be sorry for anything."

The familiar´s eyes flitter over him in a skeptical manner and with a start, Minho realizes that they carry the exact same shade as Dori´s eyes had been. It´s comforting beyond what he could explain to Jisung; seeing those eyes full of life and adoration. Jisung kisses him softly, quite different from what Minho would have expected. Yet, he finds his body fill with warmth again, after being frozen by those dark memories.

When Jisung pulls away, there´s a soft flush to his cheeks and an amused smile on his lips, "Something to cheer you up."

"You know me well." Minho grins and nibbles Jisung´s plump bottom lip.

Snorting, Jisung presses a hand on Minho´s chest, "Not too much at a time, you´ll get a stomachache from all the sweetness."

Rolling his eyes with affection, Minho leans back again and settles for splaying his palms on Jisung´s thighs, "You´re the epitome of tease, you know that?"

"Might have heard it somewhere." Jisung shrugs and leans against the edge of the table. His expression goes back from teasing to soft – careful, "So, the others found you?"

Nodding, Minho fixes his gaze on the logo of Jisung´s baseball cap, "What they found was destruction and four corpses. The child got away, but we never saw it again, so I guess it doesn´t really matter." he sighs, "Woojin and Chan knew they could only keep me hidden for so long. Even though Taeyong, Taeil and Jaehyun swore that they wouldn´t tell a soul, the great coven always finds out, what it shouldn´t."

"Keep you hidden?" Jisung asks carefully.

"It didn´t take long to realize what I had become." Minho explains, "Werewolves aren´t friends with witches. Knowing one, is dangerous, befriending one is illegal and is to be punished. But being one…" his grip tightens on Jisung´s thighs and immediately, a hand cards through his hair, soothing him, "It doesn´t matter how great of a witch you are, as soon as the curse is in your body, there is only one verdict suitable for you."

Jisung´s eyes widen in realization, "They sentenced you to… die?"

"If it weren´t for Chan", Minho says, "I wouldn´t be alive right now."

\--*--

They had stuffed him into the tiniest cage imaginable. It was so tiny, if Minho were to transform, it would crush and kill him. He could barely sit upright. Even as Woojin had argued his disapproval, pleaded and screamed that it wasn´t necessary to have the same procedure as usual, they had pushed him away, to the edge of the court and ordered him to keep quiet. Minho didn´t mind.

It was what he deserved.

Dori´s eyes kept flitting in front of his inner eye, changing from their warm, lively state to that agonizing nothingness over and over again. All he wanted was to curl into a pathetic ball and sleep forever. Maybe, that would be exactly what he´d get.

Minho wasn´t stupid. He knew what the standard procedure for a werewolf was, witch or not. In the last four centuries, not one had made it out alive, not matter how good their defense was, or how little damage they had done. His arm still throbbed, where Woojin had wrapped bandage over bandage around his wound. Usually, a bite could have been healed with a wave of Taeil´s hand. But this? A curse, as old as time, unbeatable and filled with the power of the moon itself, could not be cured by something so simple as a spell.

He looked around at the dozens of witches that had gathered in the middle of the woods. Deep, crimson fires illuminated the clearing, casting frightening shadows against the trees and the ground. Minho whimpered. Never in his life had he been this scared.

Something warm touched his cheek.

"Are you insane!?" A voice shouted from somewhere to Minho´s left, "Don´t touch him! He could bite you too!"

Minho looked up into Chan´s warm eyes, leaning into his palm, "I´m sorry." he whispered.

Chan shook his head, "There is nothing to apologize for, Min."

"I´m scared, Chan."

"I know." he mumbled, his eyes filled with pain, "We will not let anything happen to you. Dori is with us, Min. She will watch over you."

The words comforted and pained Minho at the same time. He placed a gentle peck against Chan´s palm and nodded, before the warmth withdrew.

"Brothers and sisters." A booming voice echoed across the clearing and when Minho craned his neck, he found Sayo, the leader of the great coven. Clad in black and magical crystals, she fixed her unforgiving eyes on Minho, "Let´s get right to the point. There is a werewolf in our midst Lee Minho. Pure, witch blood from a long-lasting family of witches, spoiled and wasted with the curse of the moon. I have gathered all of you, to decide how to proceed with him."

"Kill him!"

"Drown him in the ocean!"

"Burn him!"

Minho flinched with every word, his face hidden between his knees.

"Sister Sayo, I would like to make a proposal." Chan´s voice was loud and clear, "I would like to take responsibility for him and his actions, in order to secure his life."

Sayo gave him a calculating look, "Take responsibility? Are you sure that´s a sacrifice you are willing to make?"

"Without hesitation." Chan answered.

He looked strong and dangerous in the night. Minho had never feared and adored him as much as he did then. Woojin seemed to think the same, if his expression was any indicator.

"How can you be sure that he will stay clear of destruction?" Sayo asked.

It was a surprise she even bothered to listen, with all the shouts of 'kill, kill, kill' still filling the air. Then again, very few witches were as admired and respected as Chan. Even the great coven had offered him a place in their rows, but Chan had refused to live his life the way he deemed it to be right. Minho could only hope that they didn´t take that personal.

Chan seemed to contemplate. Then, to everyone´s surprise, Woojin got up and came to his side, "We´ll keep him away from the outside-world."

Minho´s eyes widened. Sayo seemed surprised as well: "And how in hell´s name are you going to do that?"

Woojin hesitated, then his eyes travelled to Minho. Chan was the one who responded, having caught up to Woojin´s plan by now: "We will keep him in our house. Put a spell on him, so he can´t leave. If he does…" he gulped, "If he does leave, you are allowed to execute the usual procedure and… take his life."

A murmur went through the crowd. Woojin said: "Just give us this one chance."

Sayo contemplated, her eyes scrutinizing every one of them with a dangerous fire behind them, "Very well. If he breaks out, it will be your responsibility. Remember though: If he harms anyone, when he is outside, you and your entire coven will suffer the consequences." She paused, "May it be pain or death."

Chan lowered his head and Woojin copied his action, "Thank the great coven, long live the dark lord."

\--*--

Jisung´s mouth hangs wide open, when Minho´s story ends, "THEY were the ones to suggest chaining you to the house?"

"Either that or my certain, very unpleasant death."

"I can´t believe it." Jisung shakes his head, "witches suck."

"Thank you."

"No, I mean that great coven gang." the familiar explains, "it wasn´t your decision to be turned! You already suffered so much and they wanted to murder you just like that?"

Minho sighs, "That´s how it is."

Jisung frowns, shuffling closer, "I swear to god, I might be Hyunjin´s familiar, but if anyone comes to even lay a finger on you, I will break their neck."

"I appreciate that." Minho smiles and rubs a few soothing circles into Jisung´s hip, "You´re cute when you´re protective."

"Ah yeah? Remember that, when you owe me your life." Jisung grins and leans in for a kiss again.

Minho doesn´t let him get away this time. He holds Jisung´s nape and kisses him just like he had planned to. Teeth catching on lips, tongues tangling and hands exploring. Jisung tries to put up a fight but when Minho considers pulling away, the familiar chases after him anyways. Minho is entirely wrapped up in Jisung´s scent and his tiny, little sounds that take his breath away.

"Oh god."

They rip apart, as if a bee had wiggled its way between their lips. Hyunjin stands in the doorway of the kitchen, an expression of pure disturbance on his face, as he looks at them. His nose is red and there is sweat on his forehead.

"I just wanted some more soup…" he whined, voice scratchy, "What the hell is this?"

"Don´t be mean." Jisung pouts, "Minho never gets to leave the house, so he deserves some action."

"But not from my familiar!"

"I´m not your possession!"

"Okay guys, calm down." Minho places a steadying hand on Jisung´s lower back, "Hyunjin, Jisung is free to kiss who he wants. Jisung, try to be a bit more respectful towards your witch."

Hyunjin rolls his eyes, "You say that because he´s kissing YOU."

Jisung crosses his arms, "What´s that supposed to mean?"

"If you were kissing me, I would take your side too." Hyunjin´s eyes widen, as soon as the words are out. He lowers his head, but Minho sees the deep redness on his cheeks, which could not come from his cold. "Whatever, if you have to suck face, at least don´t do it where I can see it."

With that, he snatches a clean bowl and fills it with soup, stumbling outside the kitchen, as fast as he can. Jisung rolls his eyes and falls against Minho, "This kid, I swear to god."

"Give him a break." Minho says, "It´s natural to get a little protective over your familiar."

Jisung´s expression softens, "I guess." then, his smile widens again and he looks at Minho, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Telling me your story."

**Author's Note:**

> Waaaah here we are now! 
> 
> How do you feel, now that you got to know our Minho a little better? I want to protect him like Jisung TT 
> 
> Let me know how you liked this part and what you´d like to see next! I´m always open for feedback and ideas <3 
> 
> Until the next update: I love u and I hope you have a wonderful time! Remember to smile <3


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